Appeal after animals abandoned in Lothians

FRANK URQUHART

A LEADING animal welfare charity has launched an appeal for information after two animals were callously “left for dead” in separate incidents in the Edinburgh and Livingston.

In one incident a tiny kitten was abandoned in a bin bag in Edinburgh. And in the second incident a hamster was dumped inside a wheelie bin in Livingston.

Picture: submitted

A spokeswoman for the Scottish SPCA said the charity was first alerted on Friday after a member of the public discovered a tiny kitten inside a black bin bag on Gorgie Road in Edinburgh and handed her into the local PDSA.

The black and white female kitten, estimated to be around eight weeks old, has been named Socks.

Senior Inspector Stuart Murray said: “It is difficult to comprehend why anyone would leave a defenceless animal inside a bin bag and Socks is very lucky to be alive.

“I don’t think she had been inside the bag for long as she was bright and unharmed when I picked her up from the vets.”

He added: “Thankfully, Socks is doing well in our care and we’ll soon be looking to find her an owner who will treat her with the care she deserves.”

The SSPCA was contacted again yesterday to rescue a hamster found in a box inside a wheelie bin in Livingston. A resident of the town’s Ravens Brae discovered the rodent as they were putting their rubbish out. The hamster has been named Charlotte.

Senior Inspector Murray said, “Charlotte was literally discarded like a piece of rubbish which is just callous. There was a small cardboard box in the bin which Charlotte had chewed through, so she was loose among the waste when she was found.

“If Charlotte hadn’t been discovered there’s every chance she would have been killed when the bins were emptied, if she hadn’t already died from dehydration.”

He added: “We’re so glad she is safe and that we can now find her a loving new home.”

An SSPCA spokeswoman said: “Socks and Charlotte are both being cared for at the Scottish SPCA’s Edinburgh and Lothians Animal Rescue and Rehoming Centre. Abandoning an animal is an offence under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 and anyone found guilty of doing so can expect to be banned from keeping animals for a fixed period or life. Anyone with information is being urged to contact the Scottish SPCA Animal Helpline on 03000 999 999.”